575.743.81 - Atmospheric Chemistry

Course Structure

The course materials are divided into modules. A module will have several sections including the overview, learning guide, content, lectures, readings, discussions, and assignments. You are encouraged to preview all sections of the module before starting. Modules run for a period of seven (7) days. You should regularly check the Calendar for assignment due dates.

Course Topics

Atmospheric Composition

Chemical Equilibria and Reaction Kinetics

Photochemistry

Tropospheric Chemistry I

Tropospheric Chemistry II

Stratospheric Chemistry

Atmospheric Aerosol Physics and Chemistry Fundamentals

Aqueous Phase Chemistry

Chemistry of Clouds and Fogs

Inorganic Aerosol Chemistry

Organic Aerosol Chemistry

Climate Change 

Course Goals

Course Goal:  Demonstrate a substantive level of advanced knowledge of atmospheric chemistry through the study of theoretical concepts and via application to practical, timely and relevant air quality issues.

Course Learning Outcomes: By the end of the course, you should be able to:

• Apply the fundamental principles that govern the composition of the atmosphere to assess the transport and fate of airborne emissions.
• Utilize processes driving gas-phase chemistry in the troposphere and stratosphere to solve practical problems involving atmospheric air pollution and composition.
• Discuss the current state of science on condensed-phase chemistry, critique existing mitigation efforts, and formulate alternate mitigation ideas.
• Critically review and appraise pertinent academic literature to atmospheric chemistry.

Textbooks

There are no required textbooks for this course.  All required reading materials will be made available via electronic reserves within the Canvas course shell.

The following texts or other texts that you may have from previous courses may be useful for this course if you find yourself struggling with specific skills:

• Seinfeld, J. H., & Pandis, S. N. (2007). Atmospheric chemistry and physics: from air pollution to climate change (2nd ed.). Hoboken, N.J.: J. Wiley.

ISBN-10: 0471720186. ISBN-13: 978-0471720188

• Finlayson-Pitts and Pitts. (1999). Chemistry of the upper and lower atmosphere: theory, experiments, and applications. San Diego: Academic Press.

ISBN-10: 0471720186. ISBN-10: 012257060X. ISBN-13: 978-0122570605.

Student Coursework Requirements

It is expected that each module will take approximately 6–10 hours per week to complete. Here is an approximate breakdown: reading the assigned sections of the texts (approximately 2–3 hours per week) as well as some outside reading, listening to the audio annotated slide presentations (approximately 1–2 hours per week), responding to discussion questions (approximately 1-2), and research/written assignments (approximately 2–3 hours per week).

This course will consist of five basic student requirements:

1. Assignments (30% of Final Grade Calculation)

Assignments will include a mix of quantitative and/or qualitative problem sets. Include a cover sheet with your name and assignment identifier. Also include your name and a page number indicator (i.e., page x of y) on each page of your submissions. Each problem should have the problem statement, assumptions, computations, and conclusions/discussion delineated. All Figures and Tables should be captioned and labeled appropriately.  All assignments are due according to the dates in the Canvas Calendar.

2. Quizzes (15% of Final Grade Calculation)

Quizzes will be made available within the respective module content from the date and time the module begins until the date and time that it ends.  Questions will test one or more module content knowledge via a combination of multiple choice (single answer), multiple choice (multiple answer) and matching questions.  There is no duration / time limit on the quizzes other than the due date cutoff, but the exam can only be taken once.  Each exam will be auto-graded and feedback provided to you; do not share this feedback with others while the module is active.

3. Pollutant Regulation Project and Presentation (20% of Final Grade Calculation)

Students will complete a critical analysis research project.  Pollutants will be scheduled in a staggered structure over the course as topics for the research project.  These pollutants have been addressed by some form of regulatory action.  Each student will detail the origin of the regulatory action and describe its impacts in a summary document. 

This document and a recorded summary presentation will be provided to your peers for review. You will need to choose a stance on whether regulatory action has been effective or ineffective based on your analysis and defend that stance in a hosted wiki interactive forum with your peers.

The research project and presentation will be evaluated in accordance with guidance and assessment rubric provided via the Pollutant Regulation Project Guidance document. 

4. Discussions: Hosting and Participation (15% of Final Grade Calculation)

Each student is responsible for carefully reading all assigned material and being prepared for discussion. The majority of readings are from the course text and optional reference texts. Additional reading may be assigned to supplement text readings.

If you are contributing to a student- or instructor-led discussion sections, post your initial response to the discussion questions by end of the module in which they are assigned. Posting an initial response to the discussion question is part one of your grade for module discussions (i.e., Timeliness).

Part two of your grade for module discussion is your interaction (i.e., responding to classmate postings with thoughtful responses) with at least two classmates (i.e., Critical Thinking). Just posting your response to a discussion question is not sufficient; you should interact with your classmates. Be detailed in your postings and in your responses to your classmates' postings. Feel free to agree or disagree with your classmates. Please ensure that your postings are civil and constructive.

5. Final Exam (20% of Final Grade Calculation)

The final exam will be available at the beginning of the final course module (Module 14). Students will have by the end of the last module to complete the exam. Students may use the course materials and other open-source materials to complete the exam.  No collaboration is allowed.

The exam will be evaluated by the following grading elements:

1. Each part of question is answered
2. Solution methodology and technical accuracy
3. Rationale for answer is provided
4. Examples are included to illustrate rationale. If a student does not have direct experience related to a particular question, then the student is to provide analogies versus examples.
5. Outside references are included

Grading Policy

Student assignments are due according to the dates in the Calendar and Assignment items in the corresponding modules. We will post grades 1-2 weeks after assignment due dates depending on the assignment type and/or complexity.

A grade of A indicates achievement of consistent excellence and distinction throughout the course—that is, conspicuous excellence in all aspects of assignments and discussion in every week.

A grade of B indicates work that meets all course requirements on a level appropriate for graduate academic work. These criteria apply to both undergraduates and graduate students taking the course.

                               Final grades will be determined by the following weighting:

Late Penalty – Assignments up to one week late will be penalized up to 50% as per below. Assignments may not be accepted later than one week late for credit; they may still be reviewed for comment at the instructor’s discretion.

1st day late -20%     2nd day late -25%     3rd day late -30%       4th day late -35%      5th day late -40%          6th day late -45%     7th day late -50%     over 14 days late – not accepted

Course Policies

Citation Guidance

If you include direct quotes or re-use data, information or figures from any source in your discussions, written assignments, course projects or any other submission, you must provide attribution.  You should cite the original source of the information not just URLs or other pointers when possible. 

In this course we will adhere to the APA citation style guide (http://www.apastyle.org/).  You may find the following citation generator helpful http://www.citationmachine.net/apa.  

The SafeAssign tool will match all text in your submissions to a comprehensive database of available proprietary and open source references and provide a report which details matching elements.  These matching elements, at a minimum, should be properly cited.  You should also cite the use of non-original work or ideas that you paraphrase or convey in your own language.

Academic Policies

Deadlines for Adding, Dropping and Withdrawing from Courses

Students may add a course up to one week after the start of the term for that particular course. Students may drop courses according to the drop deadlines outlined in the EP academic calendar (https://ep.jhu.edu/student-services/academic-calendar/). Between the 6th week of the class and prior to the final withdrawal deadline, a student may withdraw from a course with a W on their academic record. A record of the course will remain on the academic record with a W appearing in the grade column to indicate that the student registered and withdrew from the course.

Academic Misconduct Policy

All students are required to read, know, and comply with the Johns Hopkins University Krieger School of Arts and Sciences (KSAS) / Whiting School of Engineering (WSE) Procedures for Handling Allegations of Misconduct by Full-Time and Part-Time Graduate Students.

This policy prohibits academic misconduct, including but not limited to the following: cheating or facilitating cheating; plagiarism; reuse of assignments; unauthorized collaboration; alteration of graded assignments; and unfair competition. Course materials (old assignments, texts, or examinations, etc.) should not be shared unless authorized by the course instructor. Any questions related to this policy should be directed to EP’s academic integrity officer at ep-academic-integrity@jhu.edu.

Students with Disabilities - Accommodations and Accessibility

Johns Hopkins University values diversity and inclusion. We are committed to providing welcoming, equitable, and accessible educational experiences for all students. Students with disabilities (including those with psychological conditions, medical conditions and temporary disabilities) can request accommodations for this course by providing an Accommodation Letter issued by Student Disability Services (SDS). Please request accommodations for this course as early as possible to provide time for effective communication and arrangements.

For further information or to start the process of requesting accommodations, please contact Student Disability Services at Engineering for Professionals, ep-disability-svcs@jhu.edu.

Student Conduct Code

The fundamental purpose of the JHU regulation of student conduct is to promote and to protect the health, safety, welfare, property, and rights of all members of the University community as well as to promote the orderly operation of the University and to safeguard its property and facilities. As members of the University community, students accept certain responsibilities which support the educational mission and create an environment in which all students are afforded the same opportunity to succeed academically. 

For a full description of the code please visit the following website: https://studentaffairs.jhu.edu/policies-guidelines/student-code/

Classroom Climate

JHU is committed to creating a classroom environment that values the diversity of experiences and perspectives that all students bring. Everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect. Fostering an inclusive climate is important. Research and experience show that students who interact with peers who are different from themselves learn new things and experience tangible educational outcomes. At no time in this learning process should someone be singled out or treated unequally on the basis of any seen or unseen part of their identity. 
 
If you have concerns in this course about harassment, discrimination, or any unequal treatment, or if you seek accommodations or resources, please reach out to the course instructor directly. Reporting will never impact your course grade. You may also share concerns with your program chair, the Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, or the Office of Institutional Equity. In handling reports, people will protect your privacy as much as possible, but faculty and staff are required to officially report information for some cases (e.g. sexual harassment).

Course Auditing

When a student enrolls in an EP course with “audit” status, the student must reach an understanding with the instructor as to what is required to earn the “audit.” If the student does not meet those expectations, the instructor must notify the EP Registration Team [EP-Registration@exchange.johnshopkins.edu] in order for the student to be retroactively dropped or withdrawn from the course (depending on when the "audit" was requested and in accordance with EP registration deadlines). All lecture content will remain accessible to auditing students, but access to all other course material is left to the discretion of the instructor.